The Little First Grand Secretary in My House

==Chapter 267==

This scene made many people stunned on the spot.

Fortunately, Xue Tingyan had quick eyesight and quick hands, and was able to hug Mao Wenhao the moment before he hit the pillar.

Seeing that the situation was so dangerous, even the new emperor on the dragon throne couldn't help but shed a cold sweat.

He quickly stood up and asked the eunuch next to him to see how Mao Wenhao was doing, and then said angrily: Speak properly. What do you say you bump into? What can't be discussed? If you insist on making a fuss, you will die.

The so-called fighting to the death in civil and military affairs has always been the highest honor for civil and military officials.

Civil servants like to give advice to death, and the new emperor has long known this.

It was supposed to be a sign of fearlessness, even at the risk of death, but it gradually evolved into a way for ministers to deal with the emperor. If your majesty doesn't listen to the old minister's advice, the old minister will knock his head on the pillar and die.

If you think that they are just threats and will not take any serious action, you are wrong. Don't look at those civil servants who are powerless and seem to be quite cowardly. When they really deserve to be beaten to death, they are not ambiguous at all.

Because if you die like this, your name will definitely go down in history.

The ministers who refused to remonstrate were remembered in history, and the emperor also wanted to be remembered as a coward and tyrant in the history books. Not only could the emperor not retaliate against the descendants of his ministers, he also had to treat them well. Maybe in the future, I will train myself a courtier who likes to control everything and will threaten him with a blow to death at every turn.

When this happened to others, such as his own father, Emperor Jiacheng, the third prince who was born as a prince at that time would at most curse him as pedantic.

But only if it were him, could Cintiq truly understand this helpless and disgusting feeling.

Your Majesty cannot listen to advice. I can only go down and talk to the late emperor. Mao Wenhao cried loudly and struggled: Master Xue, don't drag me, I will die here today.

Stop it now. I will ask them to return to the capital to inquire about the situation. If there is really corruption and perversion of the law, I will not be lenient. In desperation, the new emperor said.

Is what your Majesty said true?

Seeing Yang Chonghua and others staring at him angrily, the new emperor finally understood what he had said.

But if he goes back on his word now, how can he lose face?

I can only bite the bullet and say: Of course it is true, Mr. Mao, it is better not to make trouble again. That was my plan, but you hit the pillar without saying anything. You are really, really too impatient...

The new emperor left in a hurry.

In the sound of retire from the court, Mao Wenhao patted the ashes on his body and got up, gave Xue Tingyan a disdainful look, and left proudly.

But the officials around Xue Tingyan were so angry that they all called him shameless.

Xue Tingyan couldn't help but shook his head, but couldn't say anything.

Yang Chonghua glanced at him and left in a hurry.

*

Several carriages stopped at the back door of Duke Dingguo's mansion.

Several plainly dressed but pretty women looked back and cried, but they couldn't do anything to stop them. They had no choice but to let the maid help them get into the carriage, which quickly left here.

Zhong Qingyang, the eldest son of Duke Dingguo and the commander-in-chief of the fifth military camp, was fined half a year's salary and ordered to release his illegal concubines. This was something that was unimaginable before, but today it really happened.

The Duke Dingguo's mansion was filled with sorrow and the atmosphere was extremely gloomy.

It seemed like a small thing, but it just proved that the new emperor had the intention to attack them.

In fact, I should have expected it a long time ago, and even been on guard, but when it really happened, I was still a little unable to accept it.

In Duke Dingguo's study, Duke Dingguo, who is over seventy years old, is sitting behind the desk.

His beard and hair are all white, and his face looks majestic. It can be seen that he was also a hero in his youth.

In fact, this is indeed the case. As a lieutenant during the Kuomintang uprising, he also made countless contributions in exchange for the position of Duke.

It's a pity that the hero is dying and is about to be buried in the coffin, but because of his grandson's affairs, he fell into this situation.

Because of the impeachment of a small censor, his family was disgraced by the new emperor!

This is the dilemma of losing power, so Duke Dingguo does not regret having planned for his grandson. If the Zhong family could have a queen mother and her grandson become emperor, the Zhong family would be able to keep their wealth and honor for at least another hundred years.

Prosperity and wealth come from gambling. If it were to happen again, Duke Ding would make the same choice again. But he will definitely not underestimate that group of civil servants, those powerless civil servants who only have a mouth, a pen, and a brain.

It's not that Duke Dingguo doesn't pay attention to these civil servants, he just didn't expect them to dare to lay out such a huge situation.

Scholars are often cunning, but the ancients would not deceive them.

The current situation is that the new emperor is supported by the group of civil servants and ascends the throne. The second prince and Concubine Zhong are in a dilemma, and the Zhong family's fortunes are only in the near future.

I don’t complain about anything, I just blame myself for missing a move.

Dad, we can't sit still and wait for death any longer, otherwise the next time my Zhong family will be found a pretext to seize military power, and the whole family will be destroyed. Zhong Qingyang said solemnly.

If there is one, there are two, and sooner or later the butcher's knife will come to your door.

In the world, apart from the missing Emperor Jiacheng, only the second prince and his family know the secret of the new emperor, so he will definitely not let go of the Zhong family, not even the second prince and even Concubine Zhong, who is now Concubine Zhong.

They should have been evenly matched, but since the new emperor ascended the throne, the Zhong family can clearly feel that the balance is tilting a little bit as time goes by.

This is the natural advantage of being an emperor. He has a reputation for being a master. So even those who followed the Zhong family and even the second prince began to hesitate, which was not a good sign.

What do you think?

We can cooperate with Xue Tingyan! Zhong Qingyang gritted his teeth.

Duke Dingguo looked over.

Xue Tingyan was the late emperor's confidant and loyal. From what he did since returning to Beijing, it can be seen that he had suspicions, but there was no evidence. Whether this is the case or not, at least Ye Ju, Lin Miao and others are. The return of these people, the confidants of the late emperor, will give them added support. If these people know that the late emperor is not actually dead, but that the third prince is plotting to usurp the throne, what do you think they will do?

But our end will not be good. Don't forget what the Zhong family and even the second prince did in it. Even if the late emperor returns to the court, he will not let go of the Zhong family. Ding Guo was fair.

Everyone is dead, so why not take a gamble? The reason why the late emperor did not dare to show up is because he is weak. And dad, you have forgotten that at the beginning, you were concerned about your love and never let the Zhong family come forward, but the second prince made I felt guilty for doing such a disobedient thing, but I never came forward.

We can definitely say that they are using the name of the second prince, and we are actually being framed. Even if the late emperor knew it, and even if he was worried about the outside world's words, he would not do anything to the Zhong family. As long as we are honest and peaceful, Zhong The lives of several hundred members of the clan can be saved.

But your sister. Concubine Zhong personally served the bowl of mixed medicine to Emperor Jiacheng.

If my sister knows that this is good for the Zhong family and the second prince, she will definitely understand it. And my son has always had a feeling that Xue Tingyan seems to know something. He is just waiting. Maybe the late emperor will return to the court soon. It’s time—”

The study fell into a suffocating silence, and suddenly there was the beeping sound of a lamp wick.

Duke Dingguo suddenly became sluggish and said a little tiredly, Let me think about it again.

I said I wanted to think about it again, but with the appearance of Duke Ding, it was obvious that he had moved on, but he was just temporarily sad about the hurdle in his heart, so he had not made a decision for the time being.

Another day, Xue Tingyan returned home in an official sedan.

Halfway through, the road ahead was suddenly blocked.

It's the Zhong family's carriage.

The guards on both sides mediated, and soon a road was vacated. The Zhong family's carriage stepped aside to let Xue Tingyan's sedan go first.

Just when Xue Tingyan opened the sedan curtain and looked out, a human face appeared in the carriage diagonally opposite, it was Zhong Qingyang.

Their eyes intertwined, understanding each other.

Not long after, a car and a sedan went in the same direction.

*

Tan Shoufu has been seriously ill and has not been able to stay even when the late Emperor Long Yu passed away.

The new emperor was considerate and spared him from crying in the palace. It is said that Tan Shoufu was so sad that he fainted on the bed from crying several times, which made his body even weaker. He almost followed the late emperor several times.

Although he now occupies the position of chief minister, the cabinet is now headed by Yang Chonghua. Everyone knows that Tan Shoufu has submitted a letter to resign and retire in the near future, so although Yang Chonghua does not have the name of Shoufu, some people have secretly called him Shoufu.

It was another morning at court, and all the officials lined up according to their official titles, with the civilian officials on the left and the military attachés on the right.

These are all common old rules. Each other knows who is standing where.

Yang Chonghua led the team and stood at the top on the left. His wife for many years became a mother-in-law. She got rid of Xu Shoufu and got rid of Mr. Wu Ge. Now it is finally his turn to take the lead.

It was the time to wait for the new emperor to come to court, so everything was very quiet.

At this moment, there was a commotion in the rear. Yang Chonghua only thought that some officials were late and did not take it seriously.

But gradually the commotion came behind him. He subconsciously turned around and saw Tan Shoufu slowly walking towards him in an old manner.

In his slightly widened eyes, the other party passed him at an extremely slow speed and stood in front of him.

Therefore, he had to take three steps back, and Feng Chengbao behind him also followed suit. A group of officials behind him also stepped back, and the team slowly calmed down.

As if sensing Yang Chonghua's surprise, Tan Shoufu smiled at him and nodded slightly. When he turned back, he was slightly apologetic.

The surroundings were still quiet, but there were countless thoughts floating in the dark because of this.

The new emperor arrived quickly, and after shouting long live, he sat down on the dragon throne.

He seemed to be very surprised by Tan Shoufu's appearance.

Then the eunuch in charge of the court ceremony shouted: If you have something to report, please leave the court if there is nothing. The new emperor looked at Tan Shoufu with a smile and said: Tan Aiqing is in good health? I have always been concerned about you when you were unwell.

Tan Shoufu knelt down tremblingly and bowed.

The new emperor was shocked and asked the eunuchs around him to help him up. Before the eunuch could go down the steps, Tan Shoufu stood up tremblingly and said that your Majesty should not act like this.

The old minister is ashamed, and his body is sitting on a plain diet. He asked the late emperor to resign several times, but the late emperor was kind and forced him to stay. So he can only stay in his position with shamelessness but not pursue his political affairs. It is really shameful, shameful.

Under such circumstances, the new emperor naturally had to say something to save his face: Tan Aiqing is an old minister, and my father is nostalgic for the past, so he respects him very much. I have so many officials in Dachang, and there are no shortage of one or two ministers to do things, but as long as my father sees that you are always here, Chao, my heart is at peace.

These words were not spoken by the new emperor, but were simply a retelling of what Emperor Jiacheng once said.

Emperor Jiacheng said words like this countless times, said it to Xu Shoufu a lot, and also said it to Tan Liang a lot. It was really touching.

Sure enough, when Tan Shoufu heard this, he wiped away his old tears. First he cried about the benevolence and righteousness of the previous emperor, and then he said that the new emperor would be a benevolent emperor in the future.

People like to hear good things, and Cintiq especially likes to hear them. In fact, he often heard these words, but if they came from the mouth of the late emperor's trusted minister, it made him feel particularly refreshed.

But the kindness of the late Emperor and Your Majesty is not the reason why I can rely on my power. Today, I come here despite my illness, just to ask for my resignation. The veteran has not returned to his hometown for many years, and now he may one day follow the late Emperor. I have gone, I want to go back to my hometown, choose a burial place, wait for the time to come, and go down to serve the late emperor.

This is a bit serious to say. In fact, whether you want to grow old or not, you can still tell the difference through words. Tan Shoufu's words clearly indicate that he has decided to leave.

The new emperor was surprised and sighed, but it was undoubtedly a good thing for Tan Shouxu to make room for him.

He said some words of comfort and persuasion. Seeing that Tan Shoufu was resolute, he could only praise him before settling the matter.

On this occasion, I have one more thing that I need to report to Your Majesty. In fact, this is the main reason why I came here. I have a heavy responsibility. I was on my deathbed several times, so I forced myself to come back.

Oh, you still don't know what it is?

Tan Shoufu's words not only aroused the curiosity of the new emperor, but also aroused the curiosity of many ministers. Some ministers standing at the back looked at each other, wondering what was going on.

Actually, it's a handwriting from the late emperor. Tan Shoufu quickly revealed the answer, but instead of taking out anything, he began to lament the late emperor in a long speech, and then revealed the origin of the handwriting.

They are getting older, maybe they have been seriously ill several times in a row, and their speech is much slower than before.

The key point is that he is not only slow, but also verbose. He always forgets what he said before, and occasionally repeats what he has said before.

If it had been before, that would be all. Hundang would have talked about him in court this morning.

But at this time, everyone had never heard of any handwriting from the late emperor. Now a handwriting suddenly appeared. Not to mention some ordinary ministers, even the new emperor Yang Chonghua and others were anxious to know what the content was.

... On that day when Mr. Xue went to Jiangnan, the old minister met with the Holy Spirit once. His Majesty said that if the New Deal can be implemented in the Jiangnan area, Mr. Beneficiaries gathered together. The scene of that day was conveyed to the capital through the mouths of the world and by express delivery. His Majesty was so excited and excited that without going into details, he once again summoned the old minister to the palace to speak. At this time, His Majesty I gave the old minister a handwriting.

After these words, the officials finally knew the general content of the late emperor's handwriting.

Is this related to Shilang Xue?

For a time, countless eyes swept over Xue Tingyan who was standing in the ranks of civil servants.

I still don't know where the handwriting is and what's on it? The new emperor finally asked what everyone wanted to know, and the tone he had been holding in his heart finally came out.

It was still trembling as usual, making people want to rush up and pick it up for him.

Tan Shoufu finally took out a roll of something from his sleeve.

This roll seemed very important, it was wrapped in a cloth. After untying one layer of cloth, there was another layer inside. After opening five or six layers, the things underneath were revealed.

All the officials and even the new emperor really suspected that Tan Chief Fu did this on purpose. Anyway, they were all upset by him.

This handwriting was originally written by His Majesty, but after writing it, His Majesty could not bear to destroy it and gave it to the old minister, saying that when the old minister retired and returned to his hometown, this handwriting would be published. Your Majesty is truly a benevolent and righteous king. , Lao Chen is really...

Tan Shoufu started crying again, which made people feel anxious and wanted to beat him.

After crying, Tan Shoufu casually handed the manuscript to Yang Chonghua and said: Mr. Yang Ge, please help me read it. I can't calm down at this time, and I can't bear to read this manuscript.

After Yang Chonghua opened the manuscript, his eyes focused on it anxiously.

Surprise, embarrassment, and disbelief flashed across his eyes, and the veins in his experienced hand holding the oracle were exposed.

His Majesty said that Mr. Xue is worthy of this position due to his merits, and there is no need to limit his age or seniority. Originally, when Mr. Xue came back from Guangdong, Your Majesty had the intention of letting him join the cabinet. He just thought that he was young and wanted to suppress it. He can also take on greater responsibilities in the future... Hey, Mr. Yang, why don't you read it?

Tan Shoufu opened his dim eyes and looked at Yang Chonghua behind him.

My officer, my officer... Yang Chonghua smiled stiffly and said, I'm here to read you. Young Master Xue Tingyan is an amazing talent. He became famous at a young age. He passed the sixth grade. Since he entered the court and became an official, he has made many meritorious deeds...

In fact, this is a handwritten edict appointing Xue Tingyan to join the cabinet. It is probably true as Tan Shoufu said, it was caused by the rise of Emperor Jiacheng. It even mentioned that he should be the chief assistant of the cabinet.

Therefore, even if it was not explicitly stated that Xue Tingyan should be the first assistant, Tan First Assistant would take it seriously, which is why he did this.

After the handwriting was finished, the palace was extremely quiet, and everyone's eyes were on the young official standing there who was neither humble nor arrogant.

In fact, if calculated based on merit, Xue Tingyan is worthy of being the first assistant.

Over the years since he entered the court as an official, he has shown calmness, calmness and sagacity, no less than some veterans who have been in the court for decades.

But you have to know that he is only in his thirties, and he has not even entered the cabinet. How can he become the chief minister in one fell swoop? So how should Yang Chonghua and Feng Chengbao, veterans who have been in the cabinet for many years, deal with themselves?

But this is the handwriting of the late emperor!

Because of the meaning represented by the word former emperor, it even surpasses the new emperor.

We must know that the king of heaven and earth is his master, and Dachang governs the world with filial piety. Can the new emperor dare to refute the previous emperor's handwriting?

Since the new emperor came to the throne, the four ministers who were responsible for the affairs of state in the imperial edict of the former emperor have become completely different from ordinary ministers. It stands to reason that the new emperor is already an adult, and having a minister who cares about life seems to be a bit of a sacrifice. However, if we look closely at the fact that the previous emperor had not established a prince, and the princes had never received training and instruction from the prince, it seems that we can understand this approach.

But everyone has ignored one thing from beginning to end, and that is Xue Tingyan, Ye Ju and others.

No one in the court knew that these people were the late emperor's confidants and appointed ministers to take care of their orders, but none of them were among them. Could it be that a few people are not qualified enough and are not as familiar with the operation of government affairs as Yang Chonghua and others? It seems that this is not unexplainable.

But the appearance of this handwritten edict somewhat contradicts the late emperor's edict.

The late emperor obviously intended to let Xue Tingyan take the position of chief assistant, if not now, then in the future.

There was Xu Shoufu in the front and Tan Shoufu in the back. Both of them were old and refused to retire. It was obvious that the late emperor deliberately retained people for the sake of balance.

Because this phenomenon has been going on for a long time, the term chief assistant seems to be just a noun to hundreds of officials. More than one person has even guessed what kind of person is worthy of the position of chief assistant in the mind of Emperor Jiacheng.

Now that the results are out, the late emperor demoted talents in an eclectic way. But the question is, why is there no mention of such a minister in the imperial edict?

So, is the so-called edict really the edict stated by the late emperor himself? Or did the minister responsible for drafting the edict deliberately omit it?

If everyone remembers correctly, the minister responsible for drafting the edict was Yang Chonghua, and the ministers present that day were also the four ministers who Gu Ming mentioned in the edict.

It is not that there are no other important ministers in the court, but only four of them were summoned. This is really intriguing.

Mao Wenhao, who was standing behind, suddenly jumped out and said loudly: On that day when the imperial edict was promulgated to the world, the ministers were a little confused. Although the ministers looked down on the character of Minister Xue and his minister Lin Miao, they still Due to his merits, it is impossible not to mention the previous sentence in the imperial edict.

Sir Yang, you drafted this edict. Can you explain to everyone why the content of the edict contradicts the earlier handwritings left by His Majesty? Could it be that you suppressed newcomers who were new students and deliberately omitted Mr. Xue?

Mao Wenhao's words immediately caused a buzz of discussion in the hall.

Yang Chonghua, who had always been steady and low-key, turned red for the first time. He waved his sleeves and scolded: You really don't know what to say! Not only was I present that day, there were three other adults, and Eunuch Zheng, the Supervisor of Ceremonies, was there. You Does it mean that I am cheating?

Mao Wenhao squinted his eyes, took out the meat hob, and said impassionedly: Who knows? That's why I asked you to explain to us. I am humble and humble. When the late emperor left his edict, We were not present, but everyone in the world knows that the imperial edict is as important as Mount Tai. It is related to the stability of our country, Dachang, and there is no room for loss.

No matter what others do, I, Mao Wenhao, am deeply favored by the late emperor. If this edict is not the original intention of the late emperor, I, Mao Wenhao, will never recognize it!

At this moment, the new emperor on the dragon throne suddenly held his forehead with a look of pain on his face.

The eunuch on the side quickly came closer and shouted: Your Majesty, Your Majesty, what's wrong with you?

The new emperor leaned weakly on the dragon chair and said, I have a headache.

Your Majesty must be tired. Since the death of the late Emperor, Your Majesty has been staying in front of the funeral for several days and was busy with government affairs. This servant will help Your Majesty to rest and teach the imperial doctor.

Following the eunuch's eloquent speech, the new emperor asked someone to help him away. The eunuch in charge of the court ceremony hurriedly shouted Retreat from the court and followed him away.